Rangers Lead the Way
by Forty Names None the Same
Summary: LOTRBlack Hawk Down Crossover Todd Blackburn missed the rope and fell from his helicopter. His Chalk thinks he's unconscious and close to death. Blackburn, however finds himself in ME. What will people think of this Legolas clone? Rated for language
1. He Fell

Rangers Lead the Way  
  
Author: Elhwesta  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from LOTR or Black Hawk Down, which is the property of Columbia Pictures. I just thought this was a nifty idea and I haven't seen one of these yet, so don't sue me. R&R instead.  
  
A/N: I've tried to be as accurate as possible in my use of military terminology. If there's something wrong, either let me know, or flame the Black Hawk Down website because that's where I'm getting stuff.  
  
Let's get this story started.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Blackburn, no!!"  
Private First Class Todd Blackburn lost his grip on the rope as an RPG (Rocket-Propelled Grenade) grazed Chalk 4's Black Hawk helicopter. Todd felt like he left his heart and stomach back at the top of the rope. He fell forever. Until he hit the ground with a muffled thud that was deafening to his ears. He might have heard something crack, but he couldn't tell. He had this sensation of water flooding his ears that drowned out all the sound around him. He couldn't hear the thundering spin of the helicopter's rotary blades, the small explosions of gunfire all around, nor the screaming of Sergeant Matt Eversmann.  
"Blackburn, can you hear me?!" Eversmann yelled, hoping to get any kind of response. All he got was more blood oozing out of Blackburn's ears and nose. Eversmann managed to get Schmid, their medic's attention and waved him over frantically to make a diagnosis. Eversmann started screaming over his mic to Captain Steele that they had a man down, but nothing was getting through. After several tries to get help from Steele, he gave up and turned to Schmid.  
"Well?!!" Eversmann yelled over the din of gunfire. Eversmann was trying desperately to keep cool and not panic. That was a primary thing that his training as an Army ranger had taught him: to not panic, even in the most dire of situations. Well, this was certainly dire.  
"He's not dead," yelled Schmid, "but I can tell you right now, he's a long ways away from here."  
  
Oh, they had no idea.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Frodo had escaped the Ringwraiths at the Ford of Bruinen, but his condition had worsened as he tarried at the riverbank to challenge the Nazgul. Aragorn, Glorfindel, and thee remaining three hobbits quickly crossed the ford to get to Frodo. Glorfindel turned to Aragorn with an anxious, almost desperate look.  
"Aragorn, I must take Asfaloth and get Frodo to Rivendell. He has but mere hours left."  
"Go with speed, my friend. We pray for the safety of both of you."  
With that, Glorfindel disappeared with Frodo and the great Elven horse Asfaloth.  
"What do we do now?" Merry asked, anxious to know if Frodo would be alright.  
"Now, Master Merry, we follow suit and head for Riven." Aragorn suddenly felt a strange sensation in his mind, like something was signaling to him, beckoning him. As a Ranger, Aragorn had learned to trust his instincts. He walked off in thee direction his gut told him to go, not hearing the questioning of the hobbits following him like stray puppy dogs. The feeling got stronger and stronger as Aragorn continued to walk.  
"It is close," Aragorn murmured, mostly to himself.  
"What is?" Pippin asked as the group broke through the bushes and low tree branches into a small clearing. Aragorn's eyes scanned the area and came to rest at a small pool to the right. There was a prone form lying on his back, elf or man he couldn't tell, next to the pool's edge, and from the looks of things he wasn't going to be moving anytime soon. As Aragorn softly treaded the ground towards the figure, he was alarmed to not see any chest movement indicating he was breathing. Throwing caution to the winds, Aragorn quickly knelt beside the figure and placed his ear next to the nose and mouth. Relived to find he was breathing, if only a little, Aragorn went on to examine the figure's wounds. There was blood seeping from the ears and nose, suggesting injury to the head and/or neck, and possibly even the back. Upon examining his neck and head, Aragorn noticed the rounded ears, confirming that he was of the race of Men. Aragorn decided to try and get the young man to respond. He opened his mouth to call out to the young man, but stopped as soon as he got a good look at his face.  
"By the Valar," Aragorn breathed. He wasn't sure what to make of this.  
"What is it? Is he going to be OK?" Pippin asked, his wide, innocent eyes full of concern for the injured stranger.  
"Wow, he has some very queer belongings," Merry commented, warily poking at the black metal thing that lay near the young man. Aragorn wasn't listening. He was too lost to comprehend any question the hobbits could ask. The only answer they got was a single word.  
"Legolas." 


	2. But the Somalis Don't Have Lords

Disclaimer: Not mine. Story is, but characters aren't. I'm gonna pout now.  
  
"His injuries are grave," Lord Elrond told Aragorn with a very sober look while applying salve and setting the young man's neck. He had a broken back, collarbone, and had suffered from serious head trauma.  
  
"I know, Father. I checked him when we discovered him in the woods. Is here anything you can do?" Aragorn asked, leaning across the sick bed the Legolas doppelganger lay upon. He knew this was not Legolas, but with the uncanny resemblance, he couldn't help but react as if it was. On the left side of the strange tunic he wore, there was a patch that said "Blackburn". He assumed that was the young man's name.  
  
"I can stop the bleeding and heal his broken bones, but if he is indeed paralyzed, there is not much I can do."  
  
"Then I shall pray to the Valar that he is not. 'Twould be a horrid fate for one so young." Aragorn placed a hand on Blackburn's forehead.  
  
"Indeed," agreed Elrond as he finished treating Blackburn. "All we can do now is wait and hope." They didn't need to wait very long. Blackburn awoke about ten hours later.  
  
'Ugh. what happened?' Blackburn's eyes took a few moments to focus. The ceiling he saw certainly wasn't that of the hospital set up at the Pakistani Stadium. It was dome-shaped and there were ornate carvings snaking their way from the center towards the walls. With all the decoration and woodcarvings everywhere, compared to the Med Tents at base, he felt like he was in the penthouse suite at The Plaza Hotel. Blackburn could only ogle at his surroundings.  
  
Completely immersed in the artwork that was the room around him, he jumped when someone took hold of his hand. The person chuckled a bit.  
  
"Well, at least we know you still have feeling in your hands." There was a man sitting in a chair to his right. He was sort of scruffy looking, and dressed in what looked like formal wear from the Renaissance. However, despite the strangeness of his appearance, Blackburn couldn't help but feel that this man should be respected. His presence reminded him of General Garrison.  
  
"Wh.where am I? What happened?"  
  
"Worry not, my young friend. Your questions will soon be answered. If you will excuse me for a moment, I will go inform Lord Elrond that you're awake." The man gave his hand a comforting pat, stood, and left the room.  
  
'Lord Elrond? But the Somalis don't have "Lords". And that guy was white! What the hell is going on?!' Blackburn had gone from confused to awe- inspired to surprised to impressed to confused to really confused all in the span of two minutes. A few moments later, the door opened and in came a tall, dark-haired man whose hair reached almost to his waist. The man from before came in behind him. If Blackburn thought that the man who sat with him before deserved respect, then this man demanded it. Never before had Blackburn felt such a powerful presence. It was like he was glowing, and he had this incredible grace and strength. Blackburn felt like nothing compared to this man. He walked over, placed a hand on Blackburn's forehead and smiled. It was then that Blackburn noticed that this man had pointed ears. How unusual.  
  
"Welcome to Rivendell, young man. I am Lord Elrond. I am sorry your visit could not be on better circumstances. It looks like you are healing nicely already." Elrond moved down to the foot of the bed. "Can you move your toes?"  
  
"Sir?" Blackburn was slightly confused. He had no idea just how serious his injuries were.  
  
"Just try and wiggle you toes. Can you?" Blackburn, a little suspicious, wiggled his toes. "Excellent. Can you feel this?" Elrond started poking at his feet with a needle.  
  
"Ow!!" Although Blackburn wasn't expecting his feet to be suddenly be stuck with sharp objects, he easily put two and two together: he was testing for responsiveness.  
  
"Was I hurt that badly?"  
  
Elrond stopped what he was doing. "Yes, you were. We thought for a time that you might be paralyzed. But given that you can feel a pinprick to your feet, I believe you will be all right. You are a very lucky young man. What is your name?"  
  
Blackburn was unsure if he should say anything. These people seemed nice enough, but what if this was just a set-up to get information? But then again, they could find who he was anyway if they took a look at his dog tag. At least they thought to ask first. "Private First Class Blackburn, Sir."  
  
"Private First Class?" Elrond looked a bit confused.  
  
"Of the United States Army Rangers, Sir."  
  
"United States? Was there some alliance formed that we didn't know about, Father?"  
  
"Unlikely, Estel. Galadriel never would have allowed such a thing."  
  
Aragorn turned to Blackburn. "You said you are a Ranger?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"I am the Captain of the Rangers of the North and never once have I seen one dressed such as you and carried no weapon beyond a hunting knife."  
  
'No weapon? You mean I lost my gun? Shit!' There went Blackburn's plans for easy escape if he needed to.  
  
"From whence in Middle Earth do you hail from, exactly?" Aragorn sat back down in his chair, leaned back into it, and crossed his arms.  
  
"Middle Earth, Sir? I'm not stationed in the Middle East, if that's what you're asking. I was sent to Somalia."  
  
"Somalia? I have never heard of such a place. It has never been recorded on any map." Elrond's eyebrows knitted together as he frowned at the strange things young Blackburn was spouting.  
  
"It's in Africa, sir," Blackburn said with and incredulous look. 'How could they know nothing of Somalia? Three hundred thousand people had died from starvation there, and they knew nothing about it?'  
  
Elrond and Aragorn exchanged a pointed look. "I believe we will save this discussion for when you have recovered," Elrond said. "Do you have any idea as to how you were hurt?"  
  
"Last I remember, I was about to rope into "The Mog", Mogadishu, and I missed the rope when my chopper had to evade an RPG. I don't remember anything after that, sir."  
  
"It would seem matters concerning yourself are quite complicated. For now let us not dwell on such questions." Blackburn turned to Aragorn.  
  
"Who exactly are you, Sir, if you don't mind my asking. You said you were the Captain of the Rangers of the North. I've never heard of any Ranger battalion with that designation."  
  
'So much like Legolas when he was younger,' thought Elrond. "A strong spirit, inquisitive, cautious. This young man is much stronger than he appears to be. Whoever trained him did so very well.'  
  
"My name is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. In some parts of Middle Earth, I am known as Strider. However, here, amongst the Elves, I am called Estel. I am also Lord Elrond's foster son."  
  
"Elves, sir?" Aragorn and Elrond shared another pointed look.  
  
"You are most definitely not of this world if you know naught of the Elves."  
  
"Not of this world?! Sir, where exactly am I?!" Blackburn was really starting to get creeped out. These two guys were really talking crazy. 'Not of this world? Middle Earth? What the hell was all this?!'  
  
"Calm down Master Blackburn. We will explain things to you fully once you recover. As for the Elves, I am an elf, Master Blackburn. As you may or may not have noticed, my ears are pointed. This is an identifying trait of the Elves. We are taller than the average man, and we have what is often described as an ethereal glow. Other physical traits include acute hearing and sight, great speed and strength, and we are completely silent when we move. We leave no footprints on the ground, we make no noise when we walk. The city you are in, Rivendell, is an Elven city. Estel here is the only human resident."  
  
"Sir, with all due respect," Blackburn started, "Elves are a thing of fairytales where I come from. How do I know this isn't just some trick of the enemy?"  
  
Aragorn hunched forward in his chair, his elbows on his knees.  
  
"Is that what your comrades call you, Blackburn?" Aragorn asked, pointing to Blackburn's name patch. Blackburn looked down at it and back up at Aragorn.  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Alright then, Blackburn. Let me ask you this. Are you of any such rank where we would want to kidnap you?"  
  
"No, sir."  
  
"Would an enemy heal you and tell you to stay in bed and rest?"  
  
"Probably not, sir." Aragorn put his hand back on Blackburn's and looked him in the eye.  
  
"I give you my word, young Blackburn, from one Ranger to another, we do not mean you any harm, and we are being truthful with you. Once you get back on your feet, you will come to realize this, and I suspect that once you see the beauty of Rivendell, you will most definitely be enjoying your stay." He gave him another reassuring smile.  
  
Blackburn immediately felt his spirits rise. He wasn't quite sure why hearing those words from Aragorn made a difference, but he felt like once he got out of bed, he could take on the world. Blackburn gave Aragorn a big grin that reached his eyes.  
  
"I believe you, sir."  
  
"Well then, young Blackburn, we will leave you to get some rest. At the rate you are recovering, you will be up and about very soon." Elrond said with a polite smile. Aragorn stood up, said goodbye to Blackburn and left the room as well.  
  
'Elves, huh?' Blackburn thought as he immediately drifted into a dreamless sleep, entirely talked out.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "What do you make of this, Father?" Aragorn asked as the two of them walked down the hallway back to Elrond's study.  
  
"I have no idea. I will agree that the similarities in appearance are uncanny. Not only that, but personality-wise as well"  
  
They arrived at the study and Elrond took a seat behind his desk. Aragorn sat in the chair across from him.  
  
"What do you think we should do with him? He's obviously not from Middle Earth or even Arda for that matter. How are we supposed to send him home?"  
  
Elrond rubbed his temple and sighed. "Again, I do not know. For the time being, we shall have to keep him here until we find out how he came to be here in the first place. I'm sure he will desire your company, Estel. You are the only other of his kin here and he will want someone familiar to help him adjust to his surroundings."  
  
"Of course, Father." Aragorn fell silent for a moment. "Do you think he has anything to do with the Ring and the return of Sauron?" he asked, voicing the very question Elrond was asking himself.  
  
"I'm not sure. With Frodo's arrival, Gandalf's disappearance, and the return of the Nazgul, I don't want to rule anything out. We will watch him for the next few days and see if he does anything suspicious." Elrond clasped his hands together and frowned. 'I just hope to the Valar that's not the case.'  
  
A/N: Sorry for the huge amount of exposition here. I promise Blackburn will start having some fun in the next chapter! Oh, and one other thing. I've been getting this question already. Blackburn does indeed still have his gun. It was the black metal object that Merry was poking at and Aragorn has obviously never seen a gun before, so he was unaware that it was a weapon. But they'll figure that out soon enough. Heh heh. I'll try and update again within the next week, but it's midterms. You know how it is. But I'll give it my best shot!! 


	3. Don't Rush Me

Disclaimer: Not mine unless I was stated in Tolkien's will somewhere and I didn't know about it.  
  
A/N: Whoa, damn, I thought the idea for this story was interesting, but I didn't expect this kind of response!! Here's a few replies for ya:  
  
James Jago: I hope you find this fic to your liking as it progresses! I'll try to keep it as accurate as possible for ya!!  
  
Keeter: Yeah, that was my problem! I love BHD and LOTR, but could never find a crossover that didn't involve Harry Potter! Grr~!!  
  
amy: Hmm. not much!! Maybe I should try to crossover all the TV and movie appearances he's ever made, even the UK ones!! God, if he ever read it, he'd probably tweak!!  
  
LalaithoftheBruinen: I'm so glad to know I'm not the only one who pays attention to Orli trivia!! I was very moved by BHD as well, just knowing that this was based on true events.  
  
Steph: I agree with you on the dropped into ME thing. I tried to write one, but the exposition got way to long and I said forget it. I hope you enjoy what's to come!!  
  
Crystal Snowflakes: Wow, I'm so glad you reviewed for me!! I have thoroughly enjoyed all of your LOTR stuff!! Thanks very much!! And don't worry about the gun, it won't become an overused thing or a crutch.  
  
Gyre: Why, thank you!! I will keep updating as often as I can. I'm GOING to finish this story! I don't care what it takes!!  
  
Hellmarie: Of course they meet! It wouldn't be fun if they didn't! I'm not sure if he'll stay. Probably not. You'll just have to wait and see! Mwahahahaha!!  
  
Lilya: Glad you think so!! Thanks!!  
  
Vana E: Haha!! You're sharp, I wasn't expecting anyone to pick up on that!! As far as the bookverse goes, I wouldn't have it any other way. I think the movies are the greatest things in the world and totally understand why Glorfindel was not in them, but Arwen still disturbs me a bit.  
  
Elenya2: Thank you much!! I'm interested to see how they react as well. The characters do whatever they want, I just write it down. ^_^  
  
jane doe: Thank you.  
  
Sarah G: I totally agree with you about the dropped into ME thing. There's so many now, they're multiplying like rabbits. Midterms are evil!! Why can't we just have an oral exam that proves that we know what we're talking about? My hand keeps cramping up with all these damn essays!!  
  
lolly pop: Thank you very much!! I love these two movies as well, for both technical and aesthetic reasons (film student).  
  
Beth: I had been for a while too, and I got sick of waiting. So now the characters will suffer by my hand instead of someone else. Be afraid Mirkwood prince, be afraid!  
  
Okay, that should do it. Here is the next installment of my fic. Yay! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Blackburn opened his eyes and found himself staring at that intricate ceiling for the third time. He had been bedridden for three days so far, and every time he woke up, he was expecting to find himself back in Somalia. Everyday, and elf named Erinduil came to check his injuries. Blackburn assumed he was a nurse or something. The elf didn't talk much, but always looked at him with a wary, uncomfortable expression. He also brought in food and helped Blackburn eat. 'Cripes, even the trays here are fancy,' Blackburn thought. This still didn't seem real.  
  
Blackburn wiggled his toes a bit, flexed his feet, and bent his knees up just a little. Ever since Lord Elrond had told him that he had almost been paralyzed, he had been testing the joints in his lower body, making sure he could still move them and feel them. He never tried to move anything above he knees though, because he felt a bit paranoid about the condition of his back. The last thing he wanted was to narrowly miss paralyzation, only to become paralyzed by moving the wrong way. As he was doing ankle rolls, Elrond walked in.  
  
"I'm glad to see you have use of your legs," Elrond said with a smile. "Forgive me, I have not been able to check up on you personally for the past few days. We have another grievously wounded patient that required my aid." Elrond walked over to the sick bed, slid his hand under Blackburn's neck, and gently rotated his head with his other hand.  
  
"Please don't worry about it, sir. I've been well taken care of," Blackburn replied. He didn't want Elrond to think that he demanded such attention.  
  
"I'm surprised you haven't tried to get up yet. You are quite fit to walk."  
  
"Fit to walk?! But, sir, you said yourself my back is broken! It's only been three days! Sir, with all due respect, how can I be expected to walk?!"  
  
Elrond chuckled pleasantly, amused by Blackburn's unbelieving and almost panicked reaction. "Such is the healing power of the Elves, my young friend." 'Compared to a stab from a Morgul blade, a broken back is easy,' Elrond thought grimly.  
  
"Sir? Is something wrong?" Blackburn asked as Elrond's smile faded and turned into a grimace.  
  
"Hmm? Oh, it is nothing you need to trouble yourself with." Elrond forced the dark thoughts from his mind and regarded Blackburn once more. "You may fell some tenderness. But there is nothing preventing you from stretching your legs." Elrond lifted Blackburn's head and helped him into a sitting position. Blackburn cast a wary glance in Elrond's direction before slowly swinging his legs over and placing his feet on the floor. Elrond took hold of Blackburn's arm and placed his other hand on his back. Blackburn slowly came up off the bed, Elrond poised to catch him if need be. Blackburn straightened his back and knees and stood upright. He didn't move for a few moments, but then his eyes grew wide, and he turned to Elrond.  
  
"Well? How do you feel?" Elrond asked, the corners of his mouth turning up with mirth. He could see the shock written all over the young man's face.  
  
"It..doesn't hurt, sir. I don't understand. I should still be down!"  
  
"Like I said, the Elves have great healing knowledge. I myself have studied healing for about seven thousand years. My skill and your inner strength allowed for your quick recovery." Blackburn blinked several times.  
  
"Seven... thousand...years..sir?" Blackburn blanched at this statement. " Yes, Elves are immortal, young Blackburn. Forgive me for not telling you earlier, but mortals tend to be rather intimidated by this, and I didn't want you feeling such while recovering from your injuries. I am sorry for startling you." Blackburn was slightly perturbed that no one told him this earlier, but he understood Elrond's reasoning.  
  
"It's fine, sir, I understand. ...Can I go walk around?"  
  
"Of course, but perhaps we should get you settled in your own room first. Your belongings are already there. Come." Elrond walked to the door and held it open. Blackburn took a few cautious steps, then followed Elrond out of the room. They started down the hall as the door behind them closed with a soft click. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A/N: Hi, sorry this update was long overdue. Like I said, midterms are a bitch. But don't worry, there is another update coming very soon. The original layout of this chapter turned out to be incredibly long, so I had to splice it in two. The next chapter is about half done, so you'll find out about Blackburn's adventures in Rivendell by the end of this week. Tah 'till then!! 


	4. Follow the Feminine Giggles

Disclaimer: I own neither LOTR nor Black Hawk Down. I'm not sure I'd want to either, they're too good for me! I am not worthy, I bow before you, J.R.R. Tolkien and Ripley Scott!!  
  
A/N: I forgot to mention in my last chapter: I know that it's pretty unrealistic that Blackburn recovered from a broken back in only three days, but for time purposes, I had to speed it up.  
  
Also, there is pseudo-Elvish spoken in this chapter that is designated by **. I do actually know Elvish, but it's too much of a pain to translate everything, so just use your imagination.  
  
One other thing, Vana E. was nice enough to point this out to me, I was wrong about Elrond studying for 7000 years. It should have been about 6 thousand. See, this is why I'm a film student and have absolutely nothing to do with math. I'm sorry for the error and that my math sucks! This is what happens when math teachers tell you to relax and have fun when taking a test!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Are you sure this is mine, Sir?" Blackburn asked as he gaped at the beautiful room they walked into. Elrond chuckled and showed him where all his belongings were stored, the bathroom, and opened to the wardrobe to reveal tunics and breeches of various colors and designs.  
  
"I thought you may need some clothes besides those you had, so I took the liberty of having some made for you."  
  
"Holy." Blackburn started before he stopped himself from saying something that might offend Lord Elrond. "Thank you, sir. You have no idea how grateful I am," he said as he stood at attention. He wasn't exactly sure if that's what he was supposed to do, but he took his best guess.  
  
Elrond laughed at this display of military discipline. "Worry not, my friend, it was no trouble at all," 'Given that you are exactly the same size as Legolas, it wasn't difficult at all,' Elrond smiled inwardly. "Truthfully, I cannot remember the last time I have been addressed in such a militaristic fashion," Elrond laughed.  
  
"I'm sorry if it was inappropriate, sir," Blackburn said sheepishly. He certainly didn't want to make the Army Rangers look bad.  
  
"No, no, it's quite alright! I just wish for you to know that you are free to relax here."  
  
"Thank you, sir." Blackburn stood at ease.  
  
"Well, perhaps you would like to wander a bit. I have things I must attend to, so I will not be able to accompany you, but please, feel free to explore." Blackburn stood at attention again, this time with a huge grin on his face.  
  
"Yes, sir. Thank you again, sir." Elrond shook his head and smiled as he left the room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Blackburn was at a loss. He was overwhelmed by the room he was in, by the fact that he was walking already, and this whole deal with Elves being immortal. 'What the hell do they do with all that time?!' he wondered. He changed out of the light tunic and breeches that had been put on him and into his uniform. He was just about to leave the room to go exploring when he heard feminine laughter outside. Blackburn walked out onto his balcony and lost his breath. Not only did he have a great view of the exquisite buildings of Rivendell, but also of the valley that this place was settled in.  
  
"So this is what they do with their time," Blackburn whispered to himself. He heard the laughing again and looked down into one of the gardens. There was a group of she-elves dancing around in a circle and were taking turns dancing in the middle. One of them saw him. She gasped, quickly curtsied, and started whispering to her friends. They all looked up at him, curtsied, and huddled together giggling and throwing glances his way.  
  
"...Wow," he breathed, completely entranced. He was sure that he had never seen that many beautiful women together in one place. 'If the guys back home ever saw this place, they would never pick up a trashy magazine ever again,' he thought with a grin. Blackburn waved to them, and smiled. They squealed with delight and ran off to start gossiping, and he laughed as his eyes followed in the direction they ran off. "Well, maybe I'll just casually go see what else this place has to offer," Blackburn said with a sly grin.  
  
"Then do allow me to join you," a voice said from behind him. He turned around to find Aragorn standing near the balcony door. "I would hate for you to get 'lost'," he said with a smirk, knowing full well what Blackburn was thinking. Give him a break, he was that age once. Blackburn stood at attention once more, his back ramrod straight, his face expressionless, eyes straight forward.  
  
"Sorry, sir, I didn't hear you come in."  
  
"That's alright, living with the Elves your whole life does that, and please, call me Aragorn. I heard you were up and I thought you might like some company on your little expedition."  
  
"Thank you, sir, I mean, Aragorn. I would like that very much."  
  
"Blackburn, at ease, my friend. There is no need to stand at attention around me. I wish to think of us as friends, or comrades at least. Please, do not regard me as a superior or someone greater than yourself. Friends, agreed?" Aragorn stuck out his hand.  
  
"Uh, ok." Blackburn, although a bit bewildered, took it. 'He's obviously a high ranking officer, why wouldn't he want me to treat him as such?' he wondered. Besides Eversmann, no ranking officer had ever tried to be his friend before. Of course they were civil and looked out for him and the others, but they weren't truly friends. Aragorn clasped his arm in a warrior's grip.  
  
"Shall we go then?" he asked with a grin. Blackburn smiled back and gave him a mock salute.  
  
"Yes, sir, Captain Aragorn!" Aragorn gave him a playful punch on the shoulder and left the room with Blackburn at his heels. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
As they toured the main house, Blackburn bombarded Aragorn with questions. He asked everything from what kinds of things they eat, what they do for fun (he couldn't wait to see the archery fields), if all She- Elves were really pretty (a question at which Aragorn smiled greatly), if Elves are really immortal and so on. He even got up the nerve to ask Aragorn why he didn't want to be treated as a superior officer. Aragorn sighed and told him the whole story about Isildur and his bloodline. To say that Blackburn was surprised doesn't begin to describe his reaction. He was floored. Literally. His knees gave out and he fell to the floor on his butt. Aragorn was slightly worried, thinking that maybe they had rushed his recovery. Blackburn insisted he was OK, but was still shocked at the fact that he was now friends with, technically, a king. They passed several Elves in the hallways, and they always gave Aragorn a courteous nod. However, when they saw Blackburn, eyes tended to grow wide, they gave tentative greetings, and always stared at his uniform and mostly-shaved head.  
  
"Why to they keep looking at me like that?" Blackburn asked Aragorn, a little annoyed.  
  
"Well, your clothing is a bit strange to us, and the elves pay special attention to their hair, so to see one who has purposely cut it off entirely is very shocking indeed," Aragorn half-lied. He knew that everyone was shocked by his uncanny likeness to the Mirkwood Prince in addition to his clothing and hair. He would not have been surprised if some thought he actually was Legolas. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
They descended the stairs into one of the gardens. Blackburn was still asking away when he heard the feminine laughter again (A/N: He has very selective hearing, don't you agree?). Aragorn put a hand up to stop Blackburn from going over. He looked curiously at Aragorn only to find that he had a rather mischievous grin on his face. He motioned for Blackburn to follow him very quietly towards a small clearing, which Blackburn did surprisingly well for a human. As they neared the source of the giggling, Blackburn noticed there were two figures he hadn't seen before. Both were very tall and had long, raven-black hair. Aragorn stopped Blackburn a little ways away from the clearing and turned to him.  
  
"Now Blackburn, I need you to do something for me. I need you to go into that clearing and over to those two elves with the black hair. I want you to act very friendly, but I also want you to act very horrible at the same time," Aragorn whispered so the elves wouldn't hear him.  
  
"I don't follow," Blackburn said as his brow furrowed with confusion.  
  
"Just go over there, act like you've known them for years, and do something to embarrass them, that's all I'm asking." Aragorn was on the verge of pleading. Blackburn was suspicious, but Aragorn had helped him out a lot, so he figured if he had a vendetta against the two elves, he'd help out. A return of a favor, if you will.  
  
"OK, fine, but what do you want me to do?"  
  
"I don't know, greet them how you'd greet a friend when you're drunk or something! But don't slur your words, act normally." Aragorn's eyes kept darting towards the clearing, hoping they wouldn't miss their chance.  
  
"Easy enough," Blackburn said as he rubbed his hands together. "Let's do this." He allowed himself an evil, mischievous grin before schooling his face into a friendly smile and strode into the clearing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The twin sons of Elrond, Elladan and Elrohir, had been flirting with the she-elves for about ten minutes now and finally felt like they were getting somewhere, until some noisy fool came striding into the clearing. They were perturbed for exactly two seconds before their jaws dropped like lead weights when they saw who it was. Blackburn started waving at them, ran over, and promptly grabbed the both of them in a headlock.  
  
"Hey guys, how's it goin'? The hell, ya puttin' your thing down or what?!" Blackburn looked up at one of the she-elves and grinned. "Hey cutie! What's a hot thing like you doin' talkin' to these dickweeds?" He winked at her as she flushed and hid her face behind her hand as she laughed, delightfully embarrassed. The rest of the she-elves flushed with jealousy.  
  
"Legolas, what in Mandos' Halls are you doing?! Release us!" Elladan commanded.  
  
"Have you lost your mind?!" Elrohir cried.  
  
"Nah, this is just the kinda love I have for ya, man!"  
  
"We're not Men!" Blackburn froze at this.  
  
"You're shittin' me. Well, you sure look like guys. You check this morning?"  
  
"Legolas!!" Elladan yelled.  
  
"No, like I said, I'm not gonna "leggo" you," Blackburn said with a huge smile. Elladan groaned.  
  
"What is wrong with you?! I said, "Legolas", not "Leggo us"!!"  
  
"What? I don't get it. Ah, never mind." He let go of Elrohir and gave Elladan a noogie, who started yelling and screaming and cursing out Blackburn. With that, Aragron burst into hysterics and staggered into the clearing while laughing his ass off. The she-elves ran off laughing as soon as Aragorn appeared, realizing the whole thing was a rouse. Elladan wrenched himself out of Blackburn's grip.  
  
"By the Valar, are you two possessed?!" he yelled and pointed at Blackburn, "And what in Mordor have you done to yourself?!"  
  
"Excuse me?" Blackburn asked, once again mightily confused.  
  
"Never mind that, I wish I had brought a sketch pad with me! You eyes were as large as dinner plates!" Aragorn laughed while wiping away tears of mirth. "Excellent job, young Blackburn." He clapped a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Blackburn?" the twins asked in unison. Their friend (or who they thought was their friend)'s appearance, speech, and lack of pointed ears threw them enough, but now they were thoroughly bewildered.  
  
"Blackburn, this is Elladan and Elrohir, the twin sons of Elrond and my foster brothers," Aragorn told him. He took a good look at them and realized that they were indeed twins.  
  
"Um. who's who?" he asked timidly.  
  
"I am Elladan," said the twin on the right. " Who exactly are you? Aragorn, you be quiet," he said as he shot a look at Aragorn, who snickered in response.  
  
"Private First Class Todd Blackburn of the United States Army Rangers, Sir!"  
  
*I'll explain in a bit. And he doesn't know about Legolas yet, so don't say anything,* Aragorn said.  
  
*Ah ha. So he doesn't know he looks exactly like Thranduil's son? When were you planning on telling him?* Elrohir asked.  
  
*I have no idea. I was hoping to avoid the subject altogether. It would complicate things too much,* sighed Aragorn. He proceeded to explain everything that had happened concerning Blackburn since he was found, while Blackburn was sure they were talking about him, he just wasn't sure if it was good things or bad things.  
  
"In any case," Elladan turned to him, "well met, Master Blackburn."  
  
"Oh, yeah, well met, uh.. which one are you again?" Elladan chuckled and told him. Elrohir threw an arm over his shoulder.  
  
"Well then, Master Blackburn, if you quite finished doing Aragorn's dirty work, let us show you the rest of Rivendell." Blackburn smiled and shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"Sound great! I'd love to see more of this place. It's incredible!" The twins tuned to Aragorn with identical smiles.  
  
"We'll take it from here. I'm sure you have other things to attend to, right?" Elrohir gave Aragorn a knowing grin, which was returned.  
  
"Very well, then," Aragorn said with a mock bow and turned to Blackburn, "I leave you in the care of my foster brothers. I pray that you come back unscathed."  
  
"Hey, hey, wait a minute, what's that supposed to mean?!" Blackburn asked in a worried voice as Aragorn walked away. That look that he had had on his face was extremely unsettling.  
  
"Don't worry, my friend, we'll have fun, I promise," Elladan grinned as Elrohir dragged Blackburn down the garden path. "Come, let us show the archery fields." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A/N: Alright! Finally an update! Midterms are done now, so I'll try to update once a week. Next up: Frodo wakes up and the banquet. Yeah! And for all the bookverse people, don't worry, I'm getting rid of Elladan and Elrohir in the next chapter. Call their current presence a "pit stop", if you will. Tah for now!! 


End file.
